Collapsible tube dispensing device



June 24, 1958 H. w. M EwEN ,27

COLLAPSIBLE TUBE DISPENSING DEVICE Filed Jan. 17, 1-955 ll'l'il] a e I m United States Patent "'0 1 2,840,273 COLLAPSIBLE TUBE DISPENSING DEVICE Harry W. McEwen, Kansas City, Mo. Application January 17, 1955, Serial No. 482,012

1 Claim. (Cl. 22298) This invention relates to an improved device for holding or storing a collapsible tube upon' a wall or the like for easy access and for delivery of material from the tube in uniform and convenient fashion adapted to remove all of such material from the tube during successive dispensing operations of the device.

It is a well known and almost universal complaint in connection with the dispensing of materials packaged in collapsible tubes, such'as toothpaste, shave cream, ointments and the like, that all of the material may not ultimately be delivered from the tube. This is particularly true when the tube is used by children or other persons who may tend to be careless about squeezing the tube progressively from its closed end and rolling the same upon itself as the material is expended therefrom. When such a tube has been squeezed intermediate its ends for delivery of material therefrom while material remains on the side of the point of squeezing remote from the outlet opening, the tube commonly assumes a condition where subsequent delivery of material adjacent the closed end of the tube becomes difiicult, if not impossible.

Accordingly, it is the primary object of this invention to provide a device for use in dispensing material from a collapsible tube which will assure proper, uniform and ultimately complete delivery of all the material packaged in the tube therefrom.

Another common objection to collapsible tube packaged items in general is that, when same are stored in a medicine cabinet or the like, access to same may be relatively inconvenient. Moreover, when so stored, and particularly when a small residue of the material has been inadvertently smeared upon the portion of the tube adjacent its delivery opening, it is found that foreign matter may, collect upon such material adhered to the tube to render the dispensing tube as a whole impure or, at the very least, uninviting. 7

Accordingly, it is another important object of this invention to provide a device by which a collapsible, material packaging tube may be conveniently held and stored upon a wall adjacent a lavatory or the like, for quick and easy access by a user and which will maintain the tube in a position remote from other articles or surroundings which might tend to contaminate it.

Another important object of this invention is to provide such a device which is adapted for convenient insertion and removal of collapsible tubes into and from an operative position in the device, so that the device may be successively used for the storing and dispensing of material from collapsible tubes successively procured for use.

It is still another important object of this invention to provide such a device which is adapted for receiving and holding various sizes and types of collapsible tubes, so as to adapt it for use with anyof most products which are packaged in such containers.

Still other important objects of the invention, including important details of construction by which its operation is rendered reliable and fool-proof and its manufacture is rendered. economical, will be made clear or become apparent as the following description of the invention progresses.

In the accompanying drawing:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view, looking from beneath, to one side and to the front, of a device made in accordance with this inventionand having a collapsible tube installed in operative position therewithin;

Fig. 2 is a bottom planvew of the. device with the collapsible tube removed therefrom;

Fig. 3 is a cross sectional view of the device taken on line III III of Fig. 1;

, Fig. 4 is a view, partially in side elevation and partially with parts broken away and in section, ofone of the two roller assemblies included in the device; and

Fig. 5 is an end elevational view. of said roller assembly showing the turning key thereof. H

Making reference now to the drawing and particularly the reference numerals on the various figures thereof, the device contemplated by this invention broadly includes a frame or bracket structure generally designated 10, a pair of roller assemblies generally designated 12 and 14, a pair of bracing rods 16 and 18, and a pair of springs generally designated 20 and 22.

Frame bracket 10 includes a rear wall 24 having a number of' perforations 26 therein by which the wall 24, and accordingly frame bracket 10, may bepermanently secured to a wall or the like (not shown) by means of fastening screws or the like (not shown). Frame bracket 10 also includes a top wall 28, a left side wall 30 and a right side wall 32. Frame bracket 10 may be formed of strong plastic, metal or the like. If formedof metal, the walls 24, 28, 30 and 32 thereof may be integral and bent to the configuration shown with wall 28, for instance, being joined with walls 30 and 32 by Welding or the like (not shown), or in any other of the several fashions which will be apparent to those skilled in the art.

Side walls 30 and 32 are each provided with a pair of holes as at 34 and 36. The rod 16 which has a head 38 on one end thereof, is passed through the holes 34 of walls 30 and 32 and the end of such rod 16 is threaded to receive a nut 40 thereon. Similarly, rod 18 is provided with a head 42 on one end thereof and has its opposite end threaded to receive'a nut 44. Each of springs 20 and 22 includes a coil portion 46, a front leg portion 48 and a rear leg portion 50'. The rod 18 is passed through openings 36 in walls 30 and 32 and also through the coil portions 46 of springs 20 and 22 with the latter disposed respectively adjacent the inner faces of side walls 30 and 32. The rear legs 50 of springs 20 and 22 bear against the rear wall 24, and the front legs 48 of springs 20 and 22 bear against parts of roller assembly 14, as will be hereinafter more fully explained.

Nuts 40 and44 are tightened upon rods 16 and 18 respectively, preferably against a slight tensioning of side walls 30 and 32 to render the bracket frame 10 more rigid, as well as to provide a fulcrum support for the springs 20 and 22 and to constitute confining guides for a collapsible tube 100, when the latter is in place within the device, as hereinafter explained.

' Each of side walls 30 and 32 is provided with a substantially T-shaped slot respectively designated generally 54 and 56, each of which includes an upright portion 58 and 60 respectively and a crossslot portion designated respectively 62 and 64. The upright'portions 58 and 60 of slots 54 and 56 respectively are opened at the lowermost edges of plates 30 and 32 respectively and extend at an angle upwardly and rearwardlytherefrom to the cross slots 62 and 64 respectively. Cross slots 62 and 64 are in turn angled upwardly and forwardly from the uppermost extremities of upright slot portions 58 and 60 respectively and are similarly angled downwardlyand rearwardly from such uppermost extremities of upright slot portions 58 and 60, to present the substantially T- shaped slot configurations abovementioned.

Roller assembly 12 comprises a split, cylindrical, tubular element having a shaft plug 68 secured in one end thereof by means of a retaining pin 70 and a hand-key 72 provided with a shaft portion 74 retained in the opposite end thereof by means of a retaining pin 76. Both of the shaft plugs68 andthe key-shaft 74 may include a portion of enlarged diameter to fitwithin tubularelement 66 or maybe provided with a sleeve as indicated at 78in Fig. 4, either constructionlbeing satisfactory.

Since the cylindrical roller element 66 is split, "an elongatedslot 80.istpresented therein placing the interior of element 66 in cornmunicationj with the "outside thereof. Aswill be hereinafter more-fully treated, such slot 80 is used in connection with the holding of a collapsible tube by the roller assembly 12. l

Rollerassembly 14 is formed somewhat similarly to roller assembly 12, except that the main cylindrical, tubular portion 82 thereof is not necessarily split or provided with aslot such as :the slot-80 of. assembly 12, and with the further exception thatlassembly 14is provided with a pair ofshaft plugs 84 and 86 respectively retained at opposite ends thereof'by retaining pinst88 and 90, no key such as key .72 of assembly12 being required upon the assembly 14. It isalso noted, however, that the tubular portion .82 of assembly 14 is preferably somewhat shorter than the tubular element 66 in order to clear a portion of each of shaft plugs 84 and 86 disposed between the tubular element 82 and the side walls 30'and 32 respectively for engagement by the front legs 48 of springs 20 and 22 respectively.

ward position against the biasing action of spring legs.

48. Once implaced within the cross slots 62 and 64, the roller assemblies 12 and 14 will be securely retained therein by virtue of the biasing action or front legs 48 of springs 20 and 22. Should it for any reason be necessary to do so, it is clearthat assemblies 12 and 14 could be removed by reversing the operations and their insertion. However, normally, the roller assemblies 12 and 14 remain within their illustrated position in cross slots 62 and 64 "wherein their rotational axes about shaft structures 68,-74 andf84- 86 respectively are substantially parallel but subjectto varied spacing against the yielding biasing action of spring legs 48, which tend to force the roller assembly 14 toward the roller assembly 12.

In use, with the bracket frame secured upon a Wall or .the like (not shown), as hereinabove indicated, a

collapsiblematerial containing tube 100 having an outlet opening (not shown) normally covered by a cap or the like 102,. may be implaced within the device by insertion of the closed end portion 104 of such tube through t '4 a portion 106 of tube 100 is wound upon the cylindrical element 66 of roller assembly 12, at which time all of the material will have been dispensed from tube 100. The key 72 may then be turned in a clockwise direction (as shown in Fig. 1) until the empty tube 100 is completely unrolled from. assembly 12. End portion 104 of the empty tube 100 may then be removed through slot 80 from cylindrical element 66, and a new, filled tube 100 implaced therein in the manner above explained.

It will now be apparent that the structure contemplated by this invention is ideally suited for accomplishing the above-mentioned objectives of the invention with a minimum cost of manufacture for the device. It will also be clear that the operation of the device is simple and fool-proof and that little or no maintenance should ever be required to keep the device in working order. Obviously, many minor changes and alterations might be madefrom the exact structure disclosed for purposes of the slot 80 of assembly 12 Upon slight rotation of the key 72 (in a counter-clockwise direction, as. illustrated in Fig. l) the tube 100 will commence to be rolled upon the rollerassernbly 12 with the main material containing portion 106 of tube 100 passing between the roller assemblies 12 and 14. The, fact that the end 104 of tube 100 is within the interior of roller element 66 and engaged by the split edges of the latter defining the slot 80, as well as the fact-that the tube 100 passes between the surfaces of roller elements 66 and 82, which are tightly "biased toward each other by spring legs 48, securely holds the tube 100 in place within the device.

To deliver material from the tube 100 it is then necessary only tojremove the cap 102 thereof to clear the outlet opening (not shown) of tube 100 and then to rotate the key 72 slightly in a counter-clockwise direction may be from time-to-time repeated until the entirety of illustration without departing from the true spirit and intention of the invention. For instance, the frame bracket 10 might be formed in slightly different fashions, particularly with a view to changing the appearance of the device, all without any substantial effect upon the principles and characteristics of its operation which are the essence in connection with this invention. Accordingly, it is to be understood that this invention shall be deemed limited only by the scope of the appended claim. What is claimed as new and desired to be secured by Letters Patent is:

A device for storing and squeezing a collapsible tube to dispense material therefrom, said tube having a closed end and anopposite end provided with a material outlet opening, said device comprising: a frame having a pair of opposed, spaced, upright, side walls and a rear wall joining said side walls, each side wall being provided with a generally T-shaped slot therein, each slot including an elongated, upright leg portion and an elongated, straight, cross portion, the cross portion of each slot sloping by an acute angle downwardly from horizontal as the normally rearmost end thereof is approached, the leg and cross portions of each slot being of substantially the same widths, the leg portion of each slot extending upwardly from the lower extremity of the corresponding side wall to a zone of communication with the corresponding cross portion intermediate the ends of the latter; a pair of elongated rollers each having ends received within the corresponding slots, said ends of the rollers being shiftable along the leg portion of the slots for installation and removal of the rollers relative to the frame and being normally received by the cross portions of the slots for rotation therewithin and shifting movement therealong, that part of the cross portion of each slot disposed forwardly of said zone being shorter thanthe part thereof disposed rearwardly of said zone; means on the rearmost of the rollers adapted for holding the closed end of the tube; means on one of said rollers for manually rotating the same; and spring means on the frame engaging said rearmost roller and yieldably biasing the latter forwardly within the cross portions of the slots, said zone being so disposed and said rollers so dimensioned that the forwardmost roller is normally held in the forward part of the cross portions and the rearmost roller is normally retained in the rear part of the cross portions, both rollers being shiftable rearwardly within the cross portion against the action of the spring means to permit removal of first the forwardmost roller then the rearmost roller through the leg portion of the slots.

'References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,270,267 Crismon June 25, 1918 1,479,101 Legendre Ian. 1, 1924 2,008,462 Mills July 16, 1935 2,502,081 Flynn, et a1. Mar. 28, 1950 

